ThanksLiving 2017

ThanksLiving is our most anticipated gala event of the year, where we honor our rescued turkeys and celebrate creative innovations in vegan cuisine. It includes passed hors d’oeuvres, a multi-course gourmet vegan meal, an open bar with wine and beer, a silent auction and raffle, and more–all to raise vital funds for the animals and our sanctuary! Click hereto see some photos from last year’s benefit.

This is our largest fundraiser of the year, and funds are needed now more than ever at our sanctuary in High Falls. No discounted “kids” price will be offered for children who occupy a seat. Since this is our gala benefit, the recommended age for attendees is 14+. Thanks for your understanding!

Event Sponsors

(named for our rescued turkey residents)

Jean Sponsor

This year marks our 12th annual ThanksLiving benefit at our sanctuary in High Falls, New York. We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Rachel Klein of Miss Rachel’s Pantry in Philadelphia for our banquet this year! And we’re delighted to welcome back Maresa Volante of Sweet Maresa’s and Confectionery! in NYC serving elegant and gorgeous vegan desserts! Join us to celebrate another year of lifesaving rescue, shelter, and advocacy work at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary.

This year, we’ll also be celebrating the work of honoree Jane Velez-Mitchell of Jane UnChained.com, a fast-growing news network on animal rights and veganism with more than a half a million followers on social media. Her daily LIVE cooking segment, #LunchBreakLIVE, features plant-based dishes and has been featured on A&E’s FYI network.

For six years Velez-Mitchell hosted her own show on HLN/CNN Headline News.She has won four Genesis Awards from the Humane Society of the United States for her reporting on animal issues. The author of four non-fiction books, including two New York Times bestsellers, she directed and produced the documentary Anita Velez: Dancing Through Lifewhich won a Gracie award.

Rachel Klein – Founder and Chef of Miss Rachel’s Pantry

Chef-Owner Rachel Klein of Miss Rachel’s Pantry serves exceptional vegan, kosher fare in a variety of inventive ways. Her weekly prix fixe dinners regularly sell out, bringing a rotating group of food lovers to her little BYOB restaurant at 1938 Chadwick Street for a six-course meal; in the same space, she also regularly hosts private parties and cooking classes. Miss Rachel’s Pantry also caters private events and weddings.

Before establishing her welcoming home on Chadwick Street, Klein operated Miss Rachel’s Pantry out of a smaller space on West Passyunk Avenue. Vegetarian from the age of five, she took to cooking as a means of feeding herself in a non-vegetarian home growing up. Largely self-taught, Klein spent time in the kitchen at South Street’s landmark vegan restaurant Horizons before striking out on her own. After learning of the horrors of the dairy industry about eight years ago, she committed to a fully vegan lifestyle, and her cooking has been proudly vegan ever since.

Maresa Volante – Founder and Owner of Sweet Maresa’s and Co-founder of Confectionery

Since 2011, Maresa has been whipping up breathtakingly gorgeous confections and defying all the conventions of vegan baking with her elegant and airy french macarons, decadent éclairs, and elegant wedding cakes.

Her bakery won Hudson Valley Magazine’s Best New Bakery in 2015, and she’s been taking the world of vegan baking to new heights. In 2015, she opened Confectionery! in Manhattan, a joint venture between Sweet Maresa’s and Lagusta’s Luscious serving organic and fair trade vegan sweets. Her baked goods are also on offer at Lagusta’s Luscious and Commissary! in New Paltz, NY.